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COST OF LIVING

Rule change: Can I get free legal aid in Norway in 2023?

The Norwegian government is taking steps to ensure that the country's entire population can access the court system. Here are the updates on free legal aid rules.

Published: 2 January 2023 15:33 CET
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The government has decided to increase the income limits for being granted free legal aid in Norway.

In the last fifteen years, it has become increasingly expensive to take a case to court in the country, and the income limit for getting free legal aid has not been adjusted since 2009.

However, from January 1st, 2023, the income limits for being granted free legal aid will be raised to 350,000 kroner for single persons and 540,000 kroner for spouses/couples.

As the government points out on its official website, this change is important as it ensures the necessary legal assistance for those who do not have the financial means to cover these expenses themselves.

“The income limits for being granted free legal aid were raised by around 30 percent from January 1st, 2022. Now we are raising the income limits further, by around 10 percent.

“Many people are experiencing a demanding increase in costs. Taking a case to court can be a big burden on your finances. Therefore, the government wants to ensure that more of those who have the least receive legal aid,” Minister of Justice and Emergency Emilie Enger Mehl said in late December 2022.

In addition, the asset limit is being increased by a full 50 percent to 150,000 kroner for both singles and spouses/couples.

What can you get legal aid for?

Free legal aid is a support measure for legal assistance given in matters of great personal and welfare importance to the individual, such as parental disputes, dismissal from employment, and appeals in social security matters.

The Minister of Justice and Emergency Preparedness wants everyone who requires such support to have the opportunity to go to the courts to resolve conflicts.

“Free legal aid is provided after a needs evaluation, which means that if you have income and assets below certain limits, you will receive financial support for legal aid. By raising the limits, more people will now be able to take care of their need for legal aid,” Enger Mehl explained.

In some cases, you can get free legal aid without the evaluation, regardless of your income or assets. This applies, among other things, to child protection cases and immigration cases.

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ECONOMY

What lower inflation in Norway means for you 

Inflation in Norway continues to slow. However, the cost of living in the country isn’t slowing as quickly as economists expected. Here’s what that means to you. 

Published: 10 May 2024 11:44 CEST
What lower inflation in Norway means for you 

Inflation is slowing 

Norway’s Consumer Price Index, CPI, which measures changes in prices for household goods and services, has slowed yet again. 

Between April last year and the same month this year, prices in Norway rose by 3.6 percent. It marks the third time that price increases have been below four percent since the start of 2022. 

The figures, released by Norway’s national data agency Statistics Norway, mark the fourth month in a row where the 12 monthly inflation figure has been lower than the yearly figure from the month before. This means prices are rising less rapidly than before. 

“Price growth decreased for the fourth month in a row in April. Prices are still higher than they were at the same time last year for most goods and services, but they are generally rising more slowly than before,” Espen Kristiansen at Statistics Norway said. 

Food remains one of the biggest contributors to inflation 

The price of food and non-alcoholic beverages rose by 3.3 percent from March to April, according to Statistics Norway. 

Chocolate, soft drinks, coffee, and citrus foods saw the biggest price increases, which the national data agency called “unusual.” 

What wasn’t unusual, however, was the cost of food rising following Easter, when many supermarkets ran offers to compete for customers. 

“The rise must be seen in the context of the fact that large offer campaigns in connection with Easter dampened prices in March,” Kristiansen said. 

The figures for April show that food prices in Norway have increased by 6.8 percent compared to a year ago. 

The rising cost of food and drink in Norway could potentially outgrow wages this year, even if expected pay bumps will outpace forecasted inflation overall. 

Economists expected inflation to fall more 

Inflation hasn’t eased as much as some experts were expecting. Core inflation, which excludes energy prices and taxes, was measured at 4.4 percent year on year in April. This is above what economists surveyed by the newswire Reuters expected. 

Norges Bank, the country’s central bank, raised the policy rate to a 16-year high of 4.5 percent in December. The bank has said that inflation should generally be around two percent, so it has used interest rates to curb price increases. 

As inflation isn’t falling much quicker than expected, economists predict that the central bank may wait until December before slashing rates – which for consumers means that loan and mortgage repayments will remain high for the foreseeable future. 

“The fall in inflation has not been much greater than Norges Bank has thought. This, therefore, indicates that an interest rate cut may come in December instead of September,” Kjersti Haugland, chief economist at DNB Markets, told public broadcaster NRK. 

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